All Saints’ Church - Vevey

CONTACT

Mission Partner Medair

Be the Church

Easter Services

Spring 2014

Who’s Who

Chaplain: Rev. Clive Atkinson Tel: 021 943 22 39 Mobile: 078 733 36 87 cliveatkinson@bluewin.ch

Children’s & Youth Coordinator: Jonny Torrance Mobile: 079 179 75 26 allsaintsyouthvevey@gmail.com

Church Administrator: Louise Bowley Tel: 021 922 94 57 Mobile: 078 894 18 69 admin@allsaints.ch

This issue of Contact Magazine will take us into the Easter Season. What a wonderful time of year, as we welcome Spring and the new life it represents. How thankful I am that Jesus was willing to sacrifice Himself in a most horrific way in order to restore our relationship with our Heavenly Father. This edition’s focus on Mission partners introduces Medair by Peter Holloway. It is exciting for me to see what they are doing and the fruit of this terrific ministry. Je-sus said “by their fruit you will know them” (Matthew 7:16), and we can rest assured that this ministry is worthy of our support. You can also read about a day with Medair in Jordan. Jonny introduces us to Project Compassion, and we congratulate him and Rebecca Daglish on their engagement. This is a joyful occasion for the All Saints family, and we look forward to celebrating with them in the summer. Take note of the many things going on in the church, including the Easter Services. Many of you will be away, and it is our hope that you take time to celebrate with family and friends wherever you will be, knowing that we are joined in our hearts with Christians around the world, so grateful to God for His rescue plan for hopeless sin-ners. I hope you enjoy this edition of Contact Magazine, and as al-

ways I welcome your comments. Pat Household—Editor allsaintscontactmagazine@gmail.com

Lent, Holy Week & Easter

Wednesday 5th March 19h30, Ash Wednesday Communion

Maundy Thursday 17th April 19h00 Men’s Agape Meal

Good Friday, 18th April 10h00, All Age Service

Easter Sunday, 20th April 07h30 Dawn Service 10h30 Easter Celebration

At the end of every service we say, “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.” We do so as a reminder that as the Worship Service comes to an end, being the Church doesn’t. What does it mean to “be the Church”? On Sunday mornings during February we explored this question reminding our-selves that Church is more than a pep talk and a few songs; more than something which we consume or are entertained by; more than something we go to as individuals or even as a family unit. Nothing could be further from the truth. Instead the Church is more like an Army that is equipped for battle and ready to be deployed at a moment’s notice; it is more like a hospital where the wounded of the world can find restoration; it’s more like a school where we are mentored and trained; and it’s more like a family of closely knit friends, noticing, supporting, caring, loving, forgiving, en-couraging and motivating one another. The Apostle Paul de-scribes the Church as God’s Household. We belong to God’s family through our common connection to Jesus. It’s the perfect environment to learn how to love deeply. Be-ing part of a Church family faces us with peo-ple we would not normally associate with; people who are different from us in every way. Rather than seeing this as a challenge, this is in fact an opportunity … an opportunity to love deeply … an opportunity to love some-one we didn’t choose. Such love creates a network of individuals who will be there for you no matter what and when their time comes to be in need, you will be there for them. But, how we experience family changes depending upon its size. As All Saints seeks to be Family, we need to grasp this reality. When it comes to experiencing family, size changes everything, so much so that there is now an area of church theory called “Church Size Dynamics”. In simple terms it tells us that the larger your church grows the way you experience Family will change. If you belong to a Church Family of less than fifty, everyone will know your name and your business. If you aren’t there on Sunday morn-ings it will be obvious and you will be missed.

However if you belong to a Church of be-tween 50 and 150 then things begin to change. Not everyone will know your name. If you aren’t in Church it may not be noticed. In Churches of this size, generally speaking, the Pastor (or Staff) will know your name and no-tice if you aren’t there. Your sense of being connected and being part of a family is mainly through the full time staff. These two churches are labelled Family and Pastoral respectively.

When your church grows to between 150 and 350 how you experience church changes again. In this scenario, it’s unlikely that many within the Church will know you or your life personally. The same goes for your Pastor. People who belong to churches of this size may experience being asked by the Pastor – on several times – “are you new?”

So, if Church is called to be Family, how do Churches of this size experience a mean-ingful sense of Family? Answer - Small Groups. This size of C h u r c h e s i s l a b e l l e d “Programme Churches” simply because they need to pro-

gramme Small Groups to ensure a meaning-ful sense of family.

When you walk into a Church of this size on a Sunday morning, you may not be known by most people but you will be known by the 10-15 people in your small group – but not just simply known but cared for, loved, and valued. They will remember your name, know what you’ve been facing that week and so on.

All Saints published its latest Church Di-rectory at the beginning of February. We now number 200 adults and 100 children (under the age of 18). This places us firmly into the category of programme church and chal-lenges us with the need to “go big” on Small Groups.

Creating a genuine sense of family within

our congregation is the responsibility of all of

us who call All Saints our spiritual home.

During Lent (March to Easter) there will be an

opportunity to join a Small Group. Can I en-

courage you to do so, not just for yourself but

also for others? Clive

Notes from Clive: Go and Be the Church

It’s the perfect environment to

learn how to love deeply.

Community Lunch: Five franc in the tin Community Lunch on Friday, 8th May,

at 12.30, in the Church Hall/Vevey. If the weather is good, it will be transferred to Sandra Darra’s garden in St. Legier. Please enroll by previous Wednesday with Sandra on 021/943.32.63 or Ruth on 021/944.36.01

Annual Bunfight in Sandra's Garden in St. Legier

on SATURDAY, 28th June, at 12.30. WEATHER PERMITTING ONLY. Warm welcome to families for fun, food and games! Five francs pp, children free. Please enroll by previous Weds. with Sandra on 021/943.32.63 or Ruth 021/944.36.01.

Men’s Breakfast Saturday, 8th March at 09.00 in the Church Hall. Guest Speaker, Dr. Michael Cotton, “Men’s Health”. Please sign up by contacting either Simon East (Simon.East@orange.ch) or Carl Wahlers (Carl.wahlers@nestle.com).

Men’s Fast Day Thursday 17th April. We will meet three times through-out the day to pray (07h30, 12h30, 19h00) and will break our fast with an Agape Meal in the evening. For catering please contact either Simon East (Simon.East@orange.ch)

Be the Church…… Things to do, People to see….

April 25 Remembrance service at 10:50 for Australia and New Zealand at the War Graves Cemetery at St. Martin led by Clive.

I could never be an Evangelist……. As I write this short article I have made several assumptions about you, (which may of course be well off the mark!). The first is that because you are reading a church magazine you are most likely to be a Chris-tian. Secondly, because you are a Christian, you have found that life is much better and more fun with God as your Heavenly Father and Friend than without Him. This being the case, we are well aware that we need to be sharing this good news with those around us. The question is, how on earth do we do this in a world where discussing religion is one of the last great taboos ? How do I talk about God in a natural way in everyday conversation without sounding like I have lost the plot? In our small group on a Tuesday morning, we followed a 4 week course by Bill Hybels called ‘Just Walk across the room‘. It had a real impact on us. Here are just a few of the key points that got me thinking :

- Don’t become a ‘cocooner’, safe in the company of other Christians all the time. Don’t be afraid of leaving your circle of comfort and extending a hand of care and compassion with those who might need the touch of God in their lives. Put simply : be a good friend.

- Everyone is on a journey. Some want nothing at all to do with God, others want to walk closely to Him every day. Our job is to help those we know to move one step closer to the God who created them. We may not be the one to wit-ness a particular person ´become a Christian‘, but we may have been instru-mental in softening their heart towards Him along the way.

- Always be prepared to share your faith story. Practice writing it down ! But make sure it is not waffly or weird ! Keep it simple and brief and stick to the formula: My life before – Christ – The difference He makes to me.

- Pray. Pray for the person you love, it may take years but don’t give up. Ask God for discernment about next steps to take. It may be as simple as lending a book, offering practical help or a listening ear.

To finish with the words of the Message : “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavours of this earth“. Matthew 5 v13. What an exciting privilege! If you’re interested in using this study for your small group, please speak to me.

Maxine Kibble

Be the Church: Small Groups

Medair is a faith-based organisation and there are some who ask why? There are many secular humanitarian organisations that do excellent work around the globe and Medair is privi-leged to work alongside them as collabo-rative partners. So in a society that en-courages the displacement of faith from the ‘market square’ why has Medair held on so tightly to this aspect of its identity over its 25 years in a workplace that is already difficult, challenging and danger-ous? The answer is simple – our interna-tional aid workers do not work for Medair as a job, they do so to respond to God’s calling to relieve the suffering of those in the world who most need help. If there is a theme that is written in huge letters through the Bible it is that God is con-cerned for the poor and needy and He expects us to do something to help them. The privilege of doing this work is immense. Rebekah who is one of Medair’s water and sanitation engineers working in South Sudan puts it like this “I think that I have the best job in the world. It’s so rewarding to see people’s faces every time we finish fixing a borehole and the water starts to flow. For me, it’s the most im-portant thing we can give people.”

In Luke 4 right at the start of Jesus’ ministry he stands up and says “Here is what I am concerned with…” The list that follows is all about the poor, the needy, the sick and the oppressed – there is no avoiding that this is God’s heart and He asks that we join Him in doing something about suffering and injustice in the world. In fact in the lead up to the parable of the Good Samaritan Jesus makes it clear that there is not one but two responses God requires of each of us; to love Him

and to love others - Medair seeks to fol-low God’s command to also love our neighbour. We now live in a global soci-ety with instant communication so the parable extends from challenging us to respond to the beggar we pass each week right out to the faces we see on the news. When Medair delivers aid to the poorest people of the world whether it’s putting a roof over their heads, giving life-saving healthcare or clean water that is no longer disease-ridden and deadly, the results are not just that individuals are lifted from their physical suffering, it is also that their dignity is restored and they can start to hope for a better life. Below is a quote from a person whom Medair helped. They have quite different beliefs from Medair’s staff but they have seen God’s love in action, not

just in the practical aid they have received but beyond that into the way Medair staff relate to them – it’s that love and values in action that will stay with them the long-est, possibly for eternity. Five years of genuine hu-manitarian aid, delivered to the

most vulnerable people of our re-gion, by the noblest and most de-cent organisation I have ever seen, speaking the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I can tes-tify that I have touched its values (Hope, Compassion, Dignity, Faith, Integrity, Accountability) on the

ground of every spot and every site where it has implemented a project. This is because Medair’s dedicated staff members were committed to put these values into practice. I am

truly inspired by the internationally

Why Bother? They do so “tirelessly because of a cause they believe in”

the poor, the needy,

the sick and the

oppressed

recruited staff members, who trav-elled far away from their homes and beloved ones, get less benefit than counterparts in other organisations, who compassionately share the hardships of life with the needy ones. I would like herewith to ex-press my respect to those who tire-lessly do so because of a cause they believe in, and from whom I have learned a lot”

Every organisation is ultimately steered by what it believes, whether those

values are consciously recognised by staff or not. Medair knows this - our faith is our calling, our motivation, our strength to go on - in fact it is the reason for Medair’s very being. Not all are called to travel across the world to serve the most vulnerable, but each of us is called to live a life of service and love the poor, the needy, the sick and the oppressed as our neighbours.

Peter Holloway www.medair.org

Tamsin Blake, Les Cutter, Rebekka Meisner, Valerie Walker, Philip Walker, Peter Holloway

18 September 2013 – A Day in the Field with Medair in Jordan By Patrick Beringer

Embarking on a day in the field with Medair staff in the Al Nafraq area of North-ern Jordan next to the Syrian border, I did not know what to expect and was strangely nervous. It was a mixture of being afraid of what I might see, of being acutely aware that I was well out of my comfort zone and of being fearful of commit-ting a cultural faux-pas that might upset either our hosts or the beneficiary families. Observing UNHCR tents in various places en route gave me a taste of what to ex-pect and this was exacerbated by the sheer number of people and the shambolic nature of the town of Al Nafraq. The town has witnessed a huge influx of refugees and is located a short distance from the gigantic refugee camp at Al Zatri. It does not take much for the normal order of things to break down. We eventually found our first destination which was a local community organi-zation near to Al Nafraq. As part of their work involved supporting local Jordanian families with disabled adults or children, we were taken to visit three local house-holds. At the first, having fortunately realized that we had to take our shoes off first (revealing the only M&S socks on view), we were ushered into a room where a dis-abled man was being looked after by his family which included a small boy of the same age as my youngest son. Watching him as he cared for this man I recognized a similarity of spirit with my son but a disparity of circumstances that cannot be de-scribed. The word “disadvantaged” goes nowhere near far enough to describe the gap. We offered to see if we could provide a wheelchair for the disabled man whereupon he insisted in showing us how he could walk with the aid of a stick. Pride is an amazing thing. We were then served coffee by an older boy with a defer-ence that melted your heart. It was not Nespresso, but I would not have missed the ex-

perience for anything.

The next family had a disabled son who was clearly frightened by our arri-val. The experience of the Medair staff in these circumstances is inspiring. Unruffled by the distress of the child, they waited patiently until he had got used to our pres-ence and then treated the child with compassion and dignity. I also avoided my first cultural faux-pas by obeying the instruction to hang back from entering the next room to which the boy had retreated as the boy’s mother was covering her head in antici-pation of my arrival. This time the suggestion of a wheelchair was welcomed. In the third household there was an older child who was disabled. His younger brothers thought our visit was the funniest thing ever and the giggled to each other throughout. Again the offer of a wheelchair was gratefully accepted and greeted with an offer of more coffee. We were not able to stay this time. We then moved on to another community project in Al Zatri village where the enterprising villagers had created a facility with a large room together with a commu-nity garden where eighty children meet each day. They had worked hard to create this with both US and Japanese support. This was presented to us by the enthusias-tic facility director and came across as a very solid base from which to provide assis-tance to the community. The village itself was dotted with more UNHCR tents which housed refugee families who had decided not to stay in the neighbouring refugee camp. It is these families outside the camp that Medair has decided to help. It is painstaking work but so essential. The final stop was the Al Zatri refugee camp itself. It was again with trepidation that I entered the camp. It beggars belief. Already the fourth largest city in Jordan, it is enormous and houses over 100,000 refugees and goes on and on and on. It is both shocking and fascinating to observe. One can only imagine what the families who live in the camp must have been through and continue to experience. The main street is an enormous thoroughfare lined with small shops in makeshift shacks selling everything you could imagine – food, clothes, pizzas, haircuts, fridges. Literally hundreds of refugees walk up and down the street often pushing their limited possessions (or latest buy) in front of them in wheelbarrows, circumventing the odd donkey on the way. Many of the families were living normal lives before the war and they are now reduced to this existence. The sight is made even more curious by the intermittent appearance of fully veiled ladies in black. The whole sight is a mix that I have never experienced before. Of course it is the children that get to you. They are everywhere in the streets making the most of the days by playing, shouting and jumping on any available vehi-cle for a ride. They have so little, are being deprived of basic opportunities and it makes your heart bleed. Of course it is no better for the rest of the residents espe-cially as you look down the “side streets” of huts and tents that stretch as far as the eye can see. We are commanded to love our neighbor as ourselves and serve with joy. I can-not but respond and pray to God to show me how to serve these neighbours with compassion and use the resources He has given me to His Glory. I finish the day again feeling uneasy. I know that after a day like that, nothing will ever be the same again. I pray for those in and outside the camp but also thank God that his love is be-ing reflected by those working for Medair. If you find yourself wondering where God’s

love is, just watch them in action. Patrick

What’s the best part about living in Switzerland? I don’t know, but the flag is a big PLUS!

Weird Animals Holiday Bible Club

Monday 14th – Thursday 17th April 2014

9h -12h each morning in the church hall

Cost: 30chf per child

The Easter Holiday Bible Club will soon be here! It looks as if it will be another fantastic few days of fun and fellowship. At Weird Animals VBS children discover that Jesus' love is one-of-a-kind! Weird Animals is a habitat filled with incredible Bi-ble-learning experiences! There will be an Imagination Station, Bible Story Adven-tures, Wild Games, KidVid Cinema and delicious snacks in the Critter Café. If you are aged between 4-10 then join in and find out for yourself what the Holiday Bible Club is all about. Registration forms are available now. For further information or to reserve a place for your child, please contact Janine Beringer at pjberinger @bluewin.ch Also visit the VBS website http://www.group.com/vbs/weird-animals to find out more. Helpers and leaders are needed to run this event so please contact Janine or

Jonny if you are interested and available to help. We will need zoo crew leaders

and activity station leaders. It is always great fun, so please volunteer to help if you

can.

Being the Church

Thank You

Dear All Saints Family, Over the past couple of weeks, Clive has been teaching us “Church as family” which prompted me to write this open letter to you. Many of you won’t even know me, but after 54 years of relatively good health, thinking that God had really blessed me with good health because I DESERVED it, I ended up in hospital fol-lowing a minor operation. I was visited by my church family, including those I don’t even remembering coming (Morphine!!!) and I received text messages of encour-agement. I returned to work totally recovered. Ten days later and I once more found myself at the mercies of the Swiss health scheme. Slipping on a grape in Migros (NO I CANNOT CLAIM COMPEN-SATION), breaking my foot and yet again ending up in hospital, I found myself housebound and pretty helpless. The cluster group scheme clicked into place and my church family rallied around with offers of food , ironing, visits to mop my brow and dry my tears, shopping, and trips to various doctors , as well as lifts to church! I cannot even try to name the individuals who have helped me on my journey as this letter would sound like the church directory, but without you I have no idea what state I would be in now. Initially I found it difficult to accept help and refused , until gently encouraged to take the loving gestures offered. At times in my past when I have felt rejected by society and lonely in church, this experience has made me realise that it does not matter how I feel, the truth that God watches over us is the truth. Most days to begin with, I received a text from someone and those messages usually arrived exactly on time! The days have stretched into months now and at last I can see the end of this epi-sode. God has shown me that my church family is “Jesus in modern clothing” and I wish to encourage every person in church today that even the tiniest gesture helps physically, emotionally and spiritually. I even appreciated the looks of pity as I went up for communion on my crutches! Dear Family, when someone is unwell in any way, please have the courage to smile, shake their hand , send a text or offer to help , even having a fresh cup of coffee prepared was a blessing! Receiving help offered is a humbling experience and far more difficult than giving help. So I would like to thank you all and tell you that your love and support has profoundly touched me.

Bernice Reid

Love one another, as I have loved you. Jesus

Kingdom Building - Listen and Learn

Have you read any good Christian books lately? Listened to some great CD’s? What about podcasts? Contact Magazine would like you to let us know what has inspired and challenged you to draw closer to God. Today we find out what Clive reads and listens to. All are available on amazon.co.uk, or iTunes:

It’s my turn to share with you the books I am reading at the moment. I have just re-cently started a two year course on leadership and as a result many of the books I am cur-rently reading revolve around what I am studying at the moment. The large majority of the books I read I now read on Kindle.

Peter Scazzero Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Henri Nouwen In the name of Jesus

Dallas Willard Renovation of the heart

In addition to the books that I have currently on the go, I really appreciate the conven-ience of podcasts. I receive regular podcasts from Urban Plant Life, a Church planting move-ment; New Wine UK, Redeemer Presbyterian Church (Tim Keller); Vineyard Churches UK, Menlo Presbyterian Church (John Ortberg) and finally Everyday Ethics (BBC). I love to listen to these when I’m in the car or when I’m on the bike (which isn’t very often at the moment). In terms of music, all I have to say is: BARRY. MANILOW. RULES

Clive

Be the Church—Project Compassion

This Easter, an intrepid group of teenagers from All Saints and some of the surrounding schools are going on a service trip to Croatia. We're going to be teaming up with Pro-ject Compassion, as we've done for the last couple of years, and will be joining international youth from across Europe; working on projects to alleviate suffering, and also introduce young people to service and mission. Project Compassion is an annual service project, usually to Eastern Europe, that is organised by Youth Compass. We are going to Fuzine, near Rijecka in the north of the country, and will be help-ing out with various projects. Now if you've been to Croatia on holiday, you may have experienced a relatively developed tourist destination, and of course the country joined the EU in 2013. But the reality is that whilst there has been much development, there are still pockets and communities that have been left behind, and still suffer the adverse effects of the extremely violent civil war of the early 90s. We will be working with some of the communities, doing building work, clearing paths, repairing schools and helping with homeless shelters and food distribution, both in Fuzine and nearby Rijecka. There is also a plan to run a sports camp for some of the children in Fuzine, and give them a chance to experience fun and just play. Please support this trip in prayer, and for information on fundraising and the trip itself please contact me, or one of the students taking part. Jonny Torrance, Children’s and Youth Coordinator

The Bible says that when we have accepted Jesus as our Saviour, we be-come a new creation. “Therefore, if any-one is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17. We need to ask ourselves, do I live as though my old life is dead, crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20)? If we are honest, many of us live daily trying to kill off the old man in our own strength in an endless round of frustrating failures, but we could focus instead on the promises of our new identity in Christ, so that we can live in freedom by the power of the Holy Spirit. There is a better way, as we begin be-lieving we are saints, that God sees us forgiven, and that what we do makes no difference to how much we are loved by our Heavenly Father. Jesus said in John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.“ How do we find this abundant life that seems so elusive? Hebrews 12:2 says “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.” Throwing off that which hinders sounds a lot like a choice. Are we spend-ing our energy fruitlessly fighting our old man, as in Romans 7? Let us believe Ro-mans 6 which explains that we are dead to sin, we are free from legalism, and through Christ can walk away from that which should stay dead. Romans 8 teaches us about life in the Spirit. There are many passages in the Bible that mention being “filled with the Spirit”, and Ephesians 5:18-21 gives a blueprint on what that looks like. This is the answer to overcoming our old man. Being filled with the Holy Spirit is like being lit from within. You are utterly convinced of your salvation, the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life is tangible, and the power to change is a gift. We are urged to be filled with the Spirit, and I am

convinced it is about surrendering every-thing to the Lordship of Christ, daily choos-ing to live as a new creation, leaving our sin behind as we listen to the Spirit’s sweet voice. As we ask God to fill us with His Spirit, we will find ourselves being transformed, receiving the fullness of His love for us, and walking in unspeakable joy, peace, and power to change. This is my experience. After being a fairly powerless, mediocre Christian for many years, I met the Holy Spirit one day in a church service, and it was exactly like the light turned on in me. Before that the Bible was boring, I did not know how to love anyone, my motives were selfish and I couldn’t understand people actually being excited about God. Since then I have been on a wild journey which has been exhila-rating and (mostly) fun, as I have discov-ered God’s amazing nature, and His love for me, although I still have a long way to go! There are no words to describe how loved and understood I feel as I choose to believe the promises in the Word of God and allow Him to transform me. Jesus said in John 14:25-27 “All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be trou-bled and do not be afraid.” Isn’t that a wonderful promise? Imag-ine never being troubled or afraid. Our Heavenly Father is longing to have that in-timacy with us that can only come when we are filled with the Holy Spirit. I am not satisfied with mediocrity, and neither is He. Are you? Pat Household

We are a New Creation

‘Course he isn’t safe. But

he’s good. He’s the King,

I tell you.”

C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the

Witch, and the Wardrobe